WORCESTER, Mass. – The Assumption University men's basketball team fell to Bentley by a 76-71 score at Laska Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.

After recognizing its two-member senior class during a pregame ceremony, Assumption went ahead 4-0 by getting a second-chance layup from junior Isiah Gaiter (Meriden, Conn.) and a jumper off the hands of graduate student Matthew Kelley (North Potomac, Md.). Bentley, however, responded in a big way by scoring 13 unanswered and barely trailed again. Mason Webb then made back-to-back layups in a span of 19 seconds to make it 22-9, and despite a tremendous comeback attempt by the Greyhounds who tied the game at 38 on a Kelly layup, the Falcons got a trifecta in the waning seconds from Jordan Mello-Klein and carried a three-point lead at recess.

Assumption tied the game four times in the opening 10 minutes of the second half and went ahead for the first time since the beginning of the game when senior Omar El Shiekh (Giza, Egypt) converted a free throw to create a 51-50 score before the midway point of the frame. But despite surrendering the lead, Bentley once again had an answer and quickly jumped on top for good by getting a trey from Lawrence.

The Greyhounds stayed competitive and kept the margin to single digits for the remainder of the contest, but they could never get over the hump again. Stepping to the line with his team ahead by three, Webb sank two free throws in the waning seconds to put the game out of reach.

Colton Lawrence and Webb scored 19 points apiece to lead Bentley (18-3, NE-10 13-4) to victory. Webb also came just shy of a double-double by grabbing nine rebounds, and Lawrence tallied four assists along with a pair of steals. Mello-Klein finished with 15 points and five assists.

Kelly led four Assumption players in twin figures by netting 18 points in his final game at Laska Gymnasium. Gaiter filled the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists, while sophomore Njavan Stewart (Newton Upper Falls, Mass.) and Ek Sheikh netted 10 points apiece.

Assumption (10-12, NE-10 6-12) will look to conclude the regular season on a high note when it visits Franklin Pierce next Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m.